Device for controlling fluid supply and introduction of drawing tubes carried on aerosol valves within containers

ABSTRACT

Device comprising a rigid body having two holes between which a ball is rotably arranged between two positions. At one position the two holes of the rigid body communicate to each other by a large hole passing through the ball, so as to allow for applying a valve onto the mouth of an aerosol container. At the second position of the ball, the top hole of the rigid body is closed, while the bottom hole communicates through a duct formed in the ball with a reservoir, from which, prior to valve application, a liquid or gas material is introduced into the container, material intended to be delivered from the container upon use of the latter.

United States Patent n 1 Giuffredi 51 Apr. 29, 1975 l DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING FLUID SUPPLY AND INTRODUCTION OF DRAWING TUBES CARRIED ON AEROSOL VALVES WITHIN CONTAINERS [75} Inventor: (iiancarlo Giuifredi Milan Ital [7 3 Assignee: Custer Tecnologie Speciali S.p.A.,

Milan Italy [22] Filed: July 23. 1973 [211 App]. No.: 381,918

[30l Foreign Application Priority Data Sept. 30 l972 Italy .t 299l4/72 [52] US. Cl 141/20: Lil/98: 29/208 B; 53/88; 137/560 [51] Int. Cl B65b 31/02 {58] Field of Search 141/98, 20. 3153/88; 222M921 l37/560; 29/208 B [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3157.974 ll/lJo-l Stanley et al. 53/88 3.134107 2/[966 Weston 53/88 Primal Enunincr-Houston S. Bell, Jr. Attorney. Agenl. or l-'irmSteinherg & Blake [57] ABSTRACT Device comprising a rigid body having two holes between which a ball is rotably arranged between two positions. At one position the two holes of the rigid hod communicate to each other by a large hole passing through the ball, so as to allow for applying a valve onto the mouth of an aerosol container.

At the second position of the ball. the top hole of the rigid body is closed, while the bottom hole communicates through a duct formed in the hall with a reservoir. from which. prior to valve application. a liquid or gas material is introduced into the container, material intended to be delivered from the container upon use of the latter.

[0 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTEDAPRZSISIS SHEET 1"??- 3 E 4 vi DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING FLIID SUPPLY AND INTRODUCTION OF DRAWING TUBES CARRIED ON AEROSOL VALVES WITHIN CONTAINERS This invention relates to a device for controlling fluid supply and introduction of drawing tubes carried on aerosol valves within containers.

It is well known that on any aerosol container a deliv ery valve is mounted and in turn also mounted on the end of a tube length. the latter being inserted in the container and causing the liquid. as withdrawn from the container adjacent the bottom thereof. to reach said valve In industrial production of aerosol containers on a large scale. use is made of automatic apparatuses by which a valve bottom is brought to bear on each container. while the tube length fast with the valve is introduced into the container. Following this operation. the valve and associated bottom is raised and slightly moved away from the free edge of the neck or mouth of the container, providing a passage through which within the container there is introduced a liquid or a liquified gas comprising the active material intended to be delivered and used by the aerosol container.

This known technique has substantial disadvantages.

of which one is the very small space between the free edge of the container neck and the valve bottom. through which space the pressure fluid is introduced into the container. thereby resulting in low filling rates and hence comparatively high production costs.

Another disadvantage is that the fluid being introduced into the containers will contact the outer parts of the containers and valves along with the associated bottoms arranged thereon. This is a serious problem readily evident when fluids introduced into the containers comprise drugs. paints. pastes or powders. etc.

Therefore, it is the main object of the present invention to provide a device by which any fluid can be introduced into a container without wetting at all the outside of the container or the associated delivery valve.

It is another object of the invention to provide a device of the above character. enabling to supply at a high rate fluids into aerosol containers.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device which. without any loss. is capable of cutting off the passage of a fluid within a container and then suitable to allow for mounting a delivery valve onto the container and introducing into the container said tube length fast with the valve.

These and still further objects are achieved by a device comprising a rigid body having a top aperture and a bottom aperture. such apertures being opposite to each other; a movable body accomodated in the rigid body and passedthrough at least one small duct and one large hole, in which a resiliently expandable pliers are arranged; and means for moving the movable body from a position. where said large hole is substantially aligned with the top and bottom apertures in the rigid body. which are thus directly intercommunicating. and a position where one end of said small duct opens in the bottom aperture of the rigid body. whereas the other end of said duct opens opposite to a free end of a conduit formed in the rigid body and connectable to a fluid supply, means being provided for controlling the fluid passage in the conduit of the rigid body and sealing means being provided at least between said rigid body and the movable body accomodated therein.

The structure and features of the invention device can be more fully understood from an embodiment thereof. which will now be described by mere way of not limiting example. reference being had to the appended drawings. in which FIGS. I to 7 show the rigid body at the several sequential steps of introducing a pressure fluid into a container and mounting a valve on said container. FIG. 6 being shown on an enlarged scale.

As shown in the drawings. the device comprises a rigid body I having opposing top and bottom apertures 2 and 3. respectively. these apertures being aligned. A movable or ball-shaped body 4 is accomodated in said rigid body I. while seals 5 are interposed between said ball 4 and rigid body I. as clearly shown in the drawings.

This ball 4 is fast with a pin 6 on which a sprocket 7 is keyed. said ball being rotable about the axes of and fast with said pin 6 and sprocket 7.

A cylinder 8 is fast with rigid body I and a piston 9 is accomodated and movable in the cavity of cylinder 8, said piston 9 having an elongated stem I0, a portion of the latter being configurated as a rack. Said stem rack of piston 9 is engaged by sprocket 7, so that the ball body 4 can be rotated through between two limit positions when piston 9 is also moved between two limit positions under the action ofa pressure fluid. such as compressed air. which is supplied or respectively vented on either side of piston 9 through cylinder holes II or I2.

A large hole I3 passes through said ball body 4 and accomodates therein a resilient pliers 14 which at inoperative condition is funnel-shaped (FIGS. 1 and 4) and is resiliently deformable until taking a substantially cy lindrical configuration (FIGS. 5 and 6).

A small duct 15 is also formed in said ball body 4 and has its axis at right angles to the axis of hole I3, as particularly shown in FIG. 1.

When piston 9 is held biased at one of its limit positions by the pressure air entering the cylinder 8 through hole I2, hole I3 of ball body 4 and resilient pliers I4 are coaxial with the apertures 2 and 3 in the rigid body 1, whereby these aperture are directly communicating. as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7.

When reversing the compressed air supply in cylinder 8. or when the hole I2 of said cylinder is vented and compressed air is supplied through hole II. the piston 9 is caused to move within cylinder 8 until reaching its lower end of stroke. as shown in FIGS. I to 3. Under these conditions. the ball body 4 is rotated through 90 until one end of duct 15 opens centrally of the aperture 3 in rigid body I. and the other end of said duct is positioned opposite the free end of a conduit I6 formed in said body I. In front of conduit 16 there is located the substantially pointed free end of a stem 17 of a piston I8 which. in turn. is movable within the bore of a cylinder I9. A spring 20 operates on said piston 18 and tends to hold it rightward biased. as seen in the drawings, thus keeping the free end of stem 17 away from conduit I6 which is in direct communication with a hole 21 for connection to a pressure fluid supply. such as a liquified gas supply. or to a delivery device for a drug. cream. paint. etc.

A hole 22 is also formed in cylinder I9 and can be connected either to vent or to a supply of pressure fluid. such as compressed air. by means of which the piston I8 can be leftward moved against the reaction of spring 20. This leftward movement of piston 18 continues until the free end of stem 17 fully closes the conduit l6, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIGS. 4 to 7.

In order to understand the operation of the above described device. assume that it is mounted on a known type of apparatus, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,095.

As the movable parts of the device are at the positions as shown in FIG. 1, an empty container 23 is placed below the aperture 3 in rigid body 1 and simultaneously a valve is placed above aperture 2, as fast with a metal bottom 24 and having a tube length 25 downwardly projecting. As shown in FIG. I, a movable head 26 is placed above the valve bottom 24, the structure and operation of this movable head being described in the above mentioned US. patent.

At a step immediately next that shown in FIG. I, the container 23 is automatically raised in upward direction and pressed against a seal at aperture 3, whereupon hole 22 of cylinder 19 is communicated with vent, so as to cause a rightward movement of piston 18 under the action of spring 20. Thus, the free end of stem 17 will clear the passage between hole 21 and conduit I6, so that any high pressure, high rate fluid can be introduced without contacting the outside of the container or the valve to be applied thereon: as above stated, this fluid can comprise the active material intended to be delivered by the container for use by the container user and can conveniently comprise a drug. It will be appreciated that at this step, shown'in FIG. 2, the aperture 2 in rigid body is tightly sealed by the spherical surface of body 4, on which seals are pressed. During this step. the movable head 26 is automatically lowered until the lower free end ofa hollow body 27 will rest on bottom 24.

Air is continuously drawn in this hollow body 27, and as a result when the valve carrier 28 is also automatically moved away, the bottom valve will remain hanging to the hollow body 27, as shown in FIG. 3.

At completion of fluid introduction into the container through hole 2], pressure air is supplied to hole 22, thus leftward moving piston 18 and closing said conduit 16 by the free end of stem 17. At the same time. a tubular body 29 is downward lowered from head 26 and straightens the tube length 25 (FIG. 4) and the lower end of which bears on a seal at the aperture 2 in rigid body I. The hole II of cylinder 8 is now communicating with the outlet or vent, while pressure air is supplied through hole 12, thereby upward lifting the piston 9 and thus rotating through 90 the pinion 7 along with the pin 6 and ball body 4, so as to align the hole 13 in body 4 with the apertures 2 and 3, as clearly shown in FIG. 4.

At a further subsequent step, the hollow body 27 is lowered and causes the tube length 26 to penetrate within the container, bearing the valve bottom 24 on the free edge of the container mouth or inlet (FIG. 5).

At the immediately next step, the hollow body 27 and tubular body 29 are upwardly moved again and the container 23 is downward moved (FIG. 7), whereupon the ball body 4 is again rotated through 90, the container filled with fluid and having the valve applied thereon is moved away and the cycle restarts from the step as above described in connection with FIG. I.

In FIG. 6, identical to FIG. 5, the device has been shown on an enlarged scale to give a clear view of the parts.

For the sake of simplicity and because not essential for understanding the operation of the device herein claimed, a detailed description is not given for the pressure air supply circuit to cylinders 8 and 19 and the operation for the members controlling the air flow. To this end, it will suffice to add that the device according to the invention, along with head 26 and the bearing plane for the containers, is preferably continuously rotably mounted on a fixed rigid frame, cams being provided thereon which at subsequent stations or steps will contact the valve control members controlling the compressed air flow to cylinders 8 and 19 and said movable head 26.

As apparent, instead of a ball shape, the movable body in rigid body 1 could also be in the shape of a cylinder coaxial with pin 6, as well as a bow or the like.

In any case, since the container filling occurs while the associated valve is held at a remote location, the container filling can be very quickly carried out in an atmosphere other than the surrounding room atmosphere, which under some circumstances is highly significant.

As is apparent from the above description, the outer rigid body 1 forms a guide means which guides the inner spherical body 4 for movement. The coaxial upper and lower apertures 2 and 3 of the guide means I communicate with the hollow interior of the latter where the body 4 is located. The component 27 forms a carrier means for carrying the closure which closes the open top of the container 23 with the latter having its open top occupying the lower aperture 3 of the guide means 1 while the carrier means 27 is movable along the common axis of the apertures 2 and 3 in order to displace the container closure through the upper aperture 2 and along the bore I3 of the inner body 4 into engagement with the container 23, when the inner body 4 is in the position shown, for example, in FIG. 4, where the bore l3 has its axis coinciding with the common axis of the apertures 2 and 3 as well as with the axis along which the carrier means 27 moves.

The components 7-10 form a moving means which is operatively connected to the inner movable body 4 for moving the latter, while it is guided by the guide means 1, between the closure-assembling position indicated in FIG. 4 and the fluid-filling position indicated in FIGS. 1-3. Thus it will be noted that when the body 4 is in the fluid-filling position of FIGS. 1-3, the axis of the bore I3 is out of line with the common axis of the apertures 2 and 3. As is apparent from FIGS. 1-3, the inner movable body 4 is formed not only with the bore 13 but also with the bore 15 which serves to direct fluid from the fluid-supply conduit 16 to the container 23 through the upper open end of the latter when the parts are in the position of FIGS. 2 and 3. Thus, the moving means 7-10 is capable of moving the body 4 between the position of FIGS. 1-3, where the bore 13 is out of line with the common axis of the apertures 2 and 3 and the bore 15 communicates with the aperture 3 to the position shown in FIG. 4 where the bore 13 of the body 4 has its axis coinciding with the common axis of the apertures 2 and 3 while the bore I5 no longer communicates with the aperture 3. It is to be noted that with the particular example illustrated the moving means rotates the body 4 about a horizontal axis which is normal to the axis of the bore 13 and which coincides with the axis of the conduit I6, and the upper right end of the bore 15, as viewed in FIGSv I and 2, communicates at all times with the conduit 16 while the bore is moved from the vertical plane shown in FIGS. 1-3 into a horizontal plane where the guide means 1 operates to close the bore 15 at its end distant from the conduit 16 and where the axis of the bore 13 extends vertically so as to assume the position shown in FIG. 4, for example. The components l7l9 form a fluid-pressure means for controlling the flow of fluid through the conduit 16.

What I claim is:

1. In an assembly for supplying fluid to and closing an aerosol container, outer guide means formed with a hollow interior and with upper and lower coaxial apertures communicating with said hollow interior, said lower aperture being adapted to receive the open top end of an aerosol container, carrier means situated over said outer guide means for carrying a closure for the aerosol container and for delivering said closure to the aerosol container while said carrier means moves along the common axis of said apertures through said upper aperture toward said lower aperture where the open top end of the container is adapted to be situated, a body situated in said hollow interior of said outer guide means to be guided for movement by the latter, said body being formed with a pair of separate bores passing therethrough and spaced from and being out of communication with each other. one of said bores being an assembly bore and the other of said bores being a fluid-conveying bore, moving means operatively connected with said body for moving said body, while it is guided by said outer guide means, between an assembly position where said assembly bore has its axis coinciding with the common axis of said apertures so that when said body is in said assembly position said carrier means can displace a closure through said assembly bore to be assembled with a container at said lower aperture, and a fluid-conveying position where said assembly bore is out of line with the common axis of said apertures while said fluid-conveying bore communicates at one end with said lower aperture, and fluid-supply means communicating with the other end of said fluid-conveying bore at least when said body has been placed by said moving means in said fluidconveying position, said fluid-conveying bore being situated when said body is in said assembly position thereof at a location where said one end of said fluidconveying bore is out of communication with said lower aperture.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said outer guide means cooperates with said body to guide the latter for turning movement and said moving means being operatively connected with said body for turning the latter about a predetermined axis between said assembly and fluid-conveying positions.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said predetermined axis is a horizontal axis normal to the common axis of said apertures.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said body has a spherical configuration and said predetermined axis extending along a diameter of said body.

5. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said fluidconveying bore is in a vertical plane and said assembly bore has its axis extending horizontally when said body is in said fluid-conveying position. while said fluidconveying bore is situated in a horizontal plane and said assembly bore extends vertically when said body is in said assembly position.

6. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said fluidsupply means remains permanently in communication with said other end of said fluid-conveying bore, said predetermined axis passing through said other end of said fluid-conveying bore and at least a part of said fluid-supply means which is adjacent said other end of said fluid-conveying bore.

7. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a fluidpressure means cooperates with said fluid-supply means for controlling the latter.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said fluidpressure means includes a cylinder, a piston slidable therein, a spring acting on said piston, and a stem fixed to said piston and terminating in a free end which closes and opens said fluid-supply means.

9. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said moving means includes a rotary pinion operatively connected with said body for turning therewith about said predetermined axis, and a rack meshing with said pinion.

10. The combination of claim 9 and wherein a fluidpressure means cooperates with said rack for moving the latter.

l k i 

1. In an assembly for supplying fluid to and closing an aerosol container, outer guide means formed with a hollow interior and with upper and lower coaxial apertures communicating with said hollow interior, said lower aperture being adapted to receive the open top end of an aerosol container, carrier means situated over said outer guide means for carrying a closure for the aerosol container and for delivering said closure to the aerosol container while said carrier means moves along the common axis of said apertures through said upper apeRture toward said lower aperture where the open top end of the container is adapted to be situated, a body situated in said hollow interior of said outer guide means to be guided for movement by the latter, said body being formed with a pair of separate bores passing therethrough and spaced from and being out of communication with each other, one of said bores being an assembly bore and the other of said bores being a fluid-conveying bore, moving means operatively connected with said body for moving said body, while it is guided by said outer guide means, between an assembly position where said assembly bore has its axis coinciding with the common axis of said apertures so that when said body is in said assembly position said carrier means can displace a closure through said assembly bore to be assembled with a container at said lower aperture, and a fluid-conveying position where said assembly bore is out of line with the common axis of said apertures while said fluid-conveying bore communicates at one end with said lower aperture, and fluid-supply means communicating with the other end of said fluid-conveying bore at least when said body has been placed by said moving means in said fluid-conveying position, said fluid-conveying bore being situated when said body is in said assembly position thereof at a location where said one end of said fluid-conveying bore is out of communication with said lower aperture.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said outer guide means cooperates with said body to guide the latter for turning movement and said moving means being operatively connected with said body for turning the latter about a predetermined axis between said assembly and fluid-conveying positions.
 3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein said predetermined axis is a horizontal axis normal to the common axis of said apertures.
 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said body has a spherical configuration and said predetermined axis extending along a diameter of said body.
 5. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said fluid-conveying bore is in a vertical plane and said assembly bore has its axis extending horizontally when said body is in said fluid-conveying position, while said fluid-conveying bore is situated in a horizontal plane and said assembly bore extends vertically when said body is in said assembly position.
 6. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said fluid-supply means remains permanently in communication with said other end of said fluid-conveying bore, said predetermined axis passing through said other end of said fluid-conveying bore and at least a part of said fluid-supply means which is adjacent said other end of said fluid-conveying bore.
 7. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a fluid-pressure means cooperates with said fluid-supply means for controlling the latter.
 8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said fluid-pressure means includes a cylinder, a piston slidable therein, a spring acting on said piston, and a stem fixed to said piston and terminating in a free end which closes and opens said fluid-supply means.
 9. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said moving means includes a rotary pinion operatively connected with said body for turning therewith about said predetermined axis, and a rack meshing with said pinion.
 10. The combination of claim 9 and wherein a fluid-pressure means cooperates with said rack for moving the latter. 